


The Rainbow Connection

by jackabelle73



Category: Glee
Genre: Gen, M/M, kid!klaine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 17:02:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20567810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackabelle73/pseuds/jackabelle73
Summary: Blaine comes home from kindergarten crying after being teased by his classmates. Little does he know, his bad day will lead to a very good friend.





	The Rainbow Connection

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this post on Tumblr: https://jackabelle73.tumblr.com/post/183495190772/my-4-year-old-nephew-loves-to-paint-his-nails-any 
> 
> The first time I read that post, I immediately got kid!Klaine vibes.

Pam Anderson was considering the contents of her pantry and trying to decide if she could concoct a dinner from ingredients she already had, when she heard the school bus stop in front of the house. Glancing out the window to verify that Blaine was getting off, she smiled to see several of his schoolmates hanging out the window and waving goodbye to him. Blaine didn’t respond to their farewells, which was unusual for him.

The front door opened and closed, followed immediately by the slamming of the bathroom door, which explained why he’d been in such a hurry to get into the house. He’d probably been so busy playing with his friends at school, that he’d ignored his body’s signals that he needed to pee. It wouldn’t be the first time that he made a last-minute dash to the toilet.

She’d pretty much decided that she didn’t feel like cooking, and they could just order a pizza tonight, when she realized that it had been several moments and Blaine still hadn’t come out of the bathroom. Normally, he’d be in here begging for an afterschool snack by now, and talking a mile a minute about his day.

She went to the bathroom door and listened, hearing running water. She knocked softly.

“Blaine, sweetie? Are you okay?”

“Fine!” was the terse answer, in a tone of voice that said he was anything but. It sounded like he was crying.

“Blaine, I’m opening the door so we can talk,” she warned him, opening the door as she said it.

He stood on his footstool at the sink, scrubbing at his hands with single minded determination. Tear tracks down his face confirmed her suspicions.

“I’m fine!” Blaine insisted through his tears. “I just need to get this stuff off!”

Her five-year-old, who typically had to be begged to wash for dinner, had enough suds on his small hands to wash his entire body. He scrubbed and scrubbed, his tears dripping into the sink.

“Honey, stop for a second. Here, let’s rinse and turn the water off, and you can tell me what’s wrong, hmm?”

She held his hands in hers, holding them under the water – which was surprisingly hot, to her alarm – then dried them, with a sneaking suspicion that she knew what he was trying to wash off, now that she’d taken a close look at his hands. She held a tissue while he blew his nose and dampened a washcloth to wipe his flushed face, before sitting on the edge of the tub and drawing him into her lap. He cuddled into her immediately, wrapping arms and legs around her. She stroked his back for a moment before she asked.

“What happened at school today, Blaine?”

“They laughed at me.” His voice was muffled against her blouse.

“Why, sweetheart?”

“Cause nail polish is for girls. They called me a sissy!” he wailed, and started crying again.

She rocked him and patted his back, trying to keep her touches soft in contrast to the seething fury boiling inside her, and the resulting need to break something.

Last night when Blaine watched her paint her nails and asked if he could do it too, she hesitated, but couldn’t say no to his eager face. They’d had so much fun going through her collection of colors, and Blaine had so much trouble deciding on his favorite that in the end, she’d painted each of his tiny nails a different color, creating a rainbow, and Blaine had proudly shown them off to Cooper, who she’d warned with a look not to tease him about it. So Cooper ruffled his hair and told him it looked cute, then rolled his eyes at Pam once Blaine’s back was turned.

If her husband had been home, she was quite sure he’d have had a few choice words to say about the polish, and the first of those words would be an emphatic NO. However, he was away on a business trip and not due back until Friday.

So she’d painted Blaine’s nails, and read him a book to help him pass the time while waiting for them to dry, and sent him off to school this morning with a quick prayer that it would be okay. After all, it was the year 2000. Gender norms weren’t what they once were, and even if some judgmental adults might be inclined to criticize, surely Blaine’s fellow kindergartners were still young enough to not care if her precious boy wanted to paint his nails?

She’d forgotten her concern till she saw him frantically scrubbing his hands at the sink.

“I hafta get it off, Mommy!” Blaine said, looking up at her. “I tried to wash it off, but it didn’t work!”

“No, sweetie, it wouldn’t. You need a special remover to get nail polish off, and Mommy has some, but are you sure you want to remove your nail polish? You were so happy with it last night.”

“I don’t want the other kids to laugh at me again!”

She combed his unruly hair back from his face with her fingers. “I know it hurts, darling. No one likes being laughed at.”

“I like being laughed at, because that means they liked the joke I told!” said Cooper from the doorway.

“Hello, Cooper. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Her older son’s smile was faltering as he took in the way Blaine was clinging to her, and how she was rocking him.

“Let me guess,” he said, his mouth twisting. “The nail polish?”

She nodded sadly.

“They laughed at me! All of them!” Blaine exclaimed.

“You mean no one liked all your bright colors? They’re stupid, squirt.” 

“Well, one boy said that he liked it. He said it was pretty.”

“That’s great, sweetie. Was it your friend Jake?”

She was vaguely aware of Cooper leaving the doorway. He’d given a perfunctory show of support, and obviously considered his job done. 

“No,” Blaine said, sulky. “He laughed at me too. It was Kurt. He said my fingers were pretty.”

“I don’t think I know Kurt, sweetheart. Have you had him over to play?”

He shook his head. “Kurt a new kid.”

“Well, I think this Kurt sounds very kind and very brave, and that’s a very good kind of friend to have. Would you like to invite him over to play sometime?”

“Can we?” His honey eyes lit up, belying the tear tracks still visible on his cheeks. 

“Of course. I’ll ask your teacher for an updated class list, so I can call his parents.”

“What about this?” Blaine asked, holding up his hands. “I wanna take it off, Mommy.”

“You know you don’t have to change what you like, just because others don’t like it, right?”

His bottom lip wobbled. “I don’t want them to laugh at me.”

“Okay, sweetheart. Let’s go take it off. I think we left all my manicure supplies in the living room last night.”

She let him down from her lap, and took him by the hand as they headed to the living room. Her heart broke that her beautiful, creative boy felt that he had to bow to the opinion of his classmates, but conversations about standing up for oneself could wait. He was only five, and shouldn’t have to face a critical mob alone.

Blaine stopped short when they turned the corner into the living room and saw Cooper at the coffee table, carefully examining the red and blue polish on two fingers of his left hand.

“What’cha doin’, Cooper?” Blaine asked.

“Oh, Squirt. Glad you’re here. I need your opinion. I was gonna do every nail a different color like yours, but I really like these two colors. I’m thinking I might just use these two, and alternate them. What do you think?”

Blaine moved closer to look at his older brother’s nails, and Pam mouthed ‘thank you’ to Cooper over his head, more grateful than she could say that he’d picked this moment for one of his rare displays of empathy for his brother.

“So… rainbow or alternating blue and red?” Cooper was asking Blaine.

Blaine studied the two shades, giving them serious consideration. “They pretty,” he pronounced finally, “but can you make your fingers rainbows, like mine?”

“Sure thing. You know, I think you had the right idea. Why settle for two colors when you can wear ten? Can I see yours, ‘cause I think you picked the perfect colors.”

“Tell you what, while you boys are doing that, I think I’ll order pizza delivery for our dinner,” Pam told them.

“Pizza? Awesome! Can we get an order of brownies too?” Cooper asked. He certainly knew how to seize a moment and take advantage of any goodwill he’d accumulated, but she couldn’t begrudge it at the moment. He could have his brownies.

She sent him a smile as she nodded, and went to order from their local pizza place. When she hung up, she pulled Blaine’s class directory from a drawer and skimmed down the list of names, not surprised when she didn’t see a Kurt. Blaine said he was new. She called the teacher instead, and tamped down her irritation that the woman apparently hadn’t done a damn thing to stop the other kids from teasing her son, judging by his mental state when he got home. She could address that issue with the teacher some other time, when she wasn’t so furious. For now, she asked politely if she could have Kurt’s parents’ number, saying only that Blaine had mentioned making friends with the new kid in class.

She dialed, and when a woman answered, she introduced herself.

“Hi. I’m Pam Anderson. We haven’t met, but my son Blaine is in the same class with your son Kurt.”

“Oh, thank goodness you called! Kurt said Blaine was teased at school today, and he’s been beside himself wondering if he was okay. He asked me to call, but I didn’t have your number.”

“That’s sweet of him.”

“Is Blaine all right?” she asked, then from further away, as if she were holding the receiver away from her mouth, Pam heard, “Yes, sweetie, it’s Blaine’s mom. I’m asking now.”

“He was pretty upset when he got home, but he’s better now.”

“His mom says he’s fine, Kurt.” This information was relayed on the other end.

“You can tell Kurt that Blaine is in the other room, happily helping his older brother paint  _ his _ nails. That kind of sibling solidarity doesn’t happen often, but I’ll take it when I can get it.” 

“That was nice of his brother. What’s his name?”

“Cooper. And I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name?”

“Oh! Where are my manners? I’m Elizabeth Hummel.”

“So happy to make your acquaintance, Elizabeth. Blaine tells me that Kurt was the only one who stood up for him today. I was hoping we could have Kurt over to play with Blaine after school, one day this week? He sounds like the kind of friend that Blaine needs.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful. We’re new here and I’d love for Kurt to make a new friend. Do you want to go to Blaine’s house and play, sweetheart?” This was obviously directed at Kurt, and the resulting screech that Pam flinched away from, even through the phone, made the answer clear.

“I think that was a yes,” she laughed.

“Yes, it was. He’s already asking when. I don’t want to be presumptuous, but would tomorrow work?”

“Tomorrow would be great.”

“Pam, could Kurt speak to Blaine on the phone right now? He’s standing here pulling on my leg, asking over and over.”

“I think that would lift Blaine’s spirits like nothing else. Let me get him.” 

She called her son, saying only that there was someone on the phone that wanted to talk to him, and watched him grin when he heard Kurt’s voice on the other end. She left him excitedly babbling into the phone, wondering if Kurt was talking just as fast on his end and if either of them could actually hear the other.

She retrieved her purse and got out money for pizza, passing by Cooper who was studying his newly-painted nails in the light from the window. She ruffled his hair and told him thank you, getting only an indignant protest that she was messing up his hair.

When the pizza arrived, she had to pry Blaine from the phone to get him to sit down and eat. She spoke to Elizabeth again, just long enough to confirm plans for the playdate the next day, before sitting with her boys to eat pizza in front of the TV. She would normally insist on eating at the table, but felt like being lenient tonight.

Cooper volunteered to go with them the next morning to escort Blaine to his class, rather than taking the bus to the high school like he usually did. He went in with them and made a point of showing Blaine’s classmates that his nails were painted in a rainbow, and Pam watched the expressions on the children’s faces change to awe. Every one of his classmates who’d ever been to Blaine’s house and met Cooper, idolized him. He was a ‘big boy’ in their eyes, a model to emulate.

“Excuse me? Are you Pam?”

She turned and knew right away who had spoken.

“Hi. Elizabeth, right? And this must be Kurt,” she said to the small boy clinging to his mother’s hand. 

“Yes. He has something to show Blaine. Do you want to show his mom first, sweetie?”

Kurt aimed a snaggle toothed grin at her and held up his hands, showing nails painted not just in multiple colors, but multiple  _ neon _ colors.

“I think Blaine will love that. Why don’t you go show him?”

Kurt ran off to show Blaine, and the ecstatic look on her son’s face more than made up for the tears yesterday. In a moment, most of the class was gathered around the two of them, plus Cooper, pushing for the best position to see their nail art and expressing admiration.

“Did you expect the politics of kindergarten to be this hard?” Elizabeth asked. 

“God, no. They’re five! How can it be so complicated?”

“I don’t know, but I think we may be witnessing the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” Elizabeth commented, still watching the boys. 

“Yes, please. I’d rather that Blaine have one brave, loyal friend, than a classroom full of fair-weather friends. Let’s hope that they can help each other through the quagmire of kindergarten.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Maybe even… middle school, high school, and beyond?”

“We can only hope.” 

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second Glee fic I've posted today. The other is called "Someone Else's Secret." I'm trying to get fics out of my WIP folder and into the 'finished and posted' folder.


End file.
